A Knight's Slave
by The Chuckinator
Summary: When Sonic is sent back in time to Camelot, he never expected to become a slave, thus allowing his life to turn upside down. However, when the king is attacked, Sonic must go on a quest with his new master, Lancelot, to save him. But Sonic doesn't realize how this journey will change him. A collab with Fangs of Lightning.
1. The Doctor Attacks

A Knight's Slave  
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by Fangs of Lightning and The Chuckinator

Chapter 1: The Doctor Attacks

The day was perfect for running, and I, Sonic the Hedgehog, had been doing just that. It had been another battle with Doctor Eggman; I had foiled yet another of the evil scientist's plots. Tails sat on the couch, looking up when I came in.

"How was your walk?" He asked.

I shrugged. "It was okay. I ran into Eggman and fought him again. He's really stepped up his game. While we were fighting, he bragged about trying to create some sort of portal that would get rid of me for good."

Tails scoffed and shook his head. "It's Eggman; he always wants to get rid of you."

"I know, and I always try and stop him. It's like my job or something."

"Except you don't get paid for doing it."

I turned to Tails with a smirk, and nodded. We sat down and turned on the TV. A documentary about Camelot, and King Arthur, was on. "I've always liked the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. It would be pretty cool to live in that time."

Tails nodded. "I've been making a time machine, but it won't be finished for another few weeks."

"Really?" I asked, looking at him. "That's pretty awesome."

The fox chuckled and we continued to watch the show. It got more interesting by the minute. Tails smiled at me and yawned. After the show was over, the fox was cuddling next to me, his head on my shoulder. I smiled and stood up, leaning Tails' head on a pillow.

"Good night, buddy," I said, and walked upstairs to my own room.

I yawned and got into bed, then fell asleep, dreaming that I was King Arthur, and my knights were on a valiant quest to find the Holy Grail. Before long, I had fallen into a long, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>The next day, I walked downstairs and saw Tails eating breakfast. Tails looked at me and smiled. "How did you sleep?"<p>

"Good," I said. "I had a dream that I was King Arthur."

Tails chuckled; that was interesting. "So," the fox said. "What was the dream about, other than you being the king?"

"Not much. I was commanding my knights, and went on a quest to find the Holy Grail."

"That's cool."

I smiled and ate also, then stretched and went for my morning run. As I did, I thought about what Eggman was up to. Hopefully the scientist wasn't causing any trouble. If he was, it was up to me to stop him.

Eggman was doing something, as a matter of fact. He was building a laser, and grinned. This newest invention would get rid of Sonic for good.

"At last, it's complete," he said with a sneer. He turned to Metal Sonic. "I need you to go and capture Sonic, then bring him to me."

"Yes, Master," Metal Sonic nodded, and flew off.

The robot flew into the city and looked around, then noticed me running. It chuckled and landed in front of me, and I skidded to a stop.

"Metal," I said, crossing my arms and tapping my right foot impatiently. "Get out of my way."

"Doctor Eggman wishes for me to capture you," Metal Sonic said.

"Like that's going to happen."

We stared at each other for a moment, and then lunged at one another. I punched the robot, who glared at me and fired lasers from its optics. I got out of the way and circled behind Metal, kicking it in the back. The robot glared at me and scratched me on the chest with its claws. I groaned in pain and clutched my bleeding stomach, then did a homing attack, but Metal Sonic flew into the air. It looked down upon its flesh counterpart, and then sent an electric ball from its hands. My eyes widened; I tried to get out of the way, but the ball collided with me. I screamed in pain as I was electrocuted, and fell to the ground. Metal Sonic landed and looked at me. It said nothing as it picked me up under its arm, and flew back to Eggman's base. Once it got there, it set me down on a table. I struggled to escape, but found that I was strapped in.

"Eggman," I said. "I should have known."

The doctor chuckled. "Of course it's me, you insolent rat. Were you expecting someone else?" I said nothing, and Eggman continued to ramble. "I have created a way to get rid of you once and for all, Sonic."

He grinned and unveiled a large laser, then activated it. A portal formed, and I frowned. "What's this, some high tech laser that creates bubbles? I didn't know you were so into Portal..."

"Silence! This instrument will be your doom! It will take you back in time, never for you to return! Allow me to demonstrate..." He amplified the machine, and the portal grew larger. Eggman grinned. "Nice knowing you, Sonic, but I'm afraid you're out of time!"

I tried to escape, but screamed as I was sucked in. The portal closed, and everything went white.


	2. Sold

Chapter 2: Sold

My eyes were opening a few minutes later. They had barely focused on the trees above me before a feeling of nausea gripped me and everything started spinning. A groan came up rather than the vomit I was expecting as I rolled over and closed my eyes. Most likely a side-effect of that portal Eggman had forced me into...both my ears twitched when the sound of horses came from the left. I could hear the deep sound of male voices as well, which made me feel a little better. Good to know I wasn't alone here. I stood and looked around for the source of the sounds. Through the trees, I could see a dirt road and a group of horse anthros. At least, I think they were horses. My trademark smile came to my face and I walked forward to meet them.

"Hey, guys," I said. "I'm new here and I was..."

I cut myself off when I noticed the way they were looking at me. Lust was something I rarely came across...usually Amy was the one expressing it...and this encounter worried me more than any other. For a few moments, I just stood there in startled worry. Movement to the side got my attention and I saw others coming over. They had ropes, and my quills raised on instinct.

"Those won't do good against a hedgehog," one of them said. "He needs to be knocked out first."

Hitting the speed of sound took only a few seconds. The men I ran between were thrown off their feet from the force of my passing. Swearing and yelling could be heard behind me for a few moments before the sound of my own running was all I could hear. I let myself laugh as I ran through trees, weaving between them and feeling the wind whipping through my quills and fur. Quick reflexes prevented me from crashing despite having no knowledge of the land. I hadn't had this much fun while running in a long while. At this rate, these people wouldn't be able to-A loud snapping sound accompanied intense pain. Rendered unable to move, I looked down.

Jagged metallic teeth bit into my leg. Torn flesh could be seen around the crude trap. Blood built up around the wound, staining both my leg and the trap. Ironically, the injury was the least of my worries. More pressing was the walking I heard. Taking a breath to calm myself, I bent down. Pain flared and pulsed up the length of my calf in protest to the movement. Getting the trap off my leg was going to be harder than anything Eggman had done to me before. Before I could free my leg, there was a hard hit on the side of my head and my vision went black.

"Quite a reckless one," a voice said.

"Should we really be selling him then?" Another asked.

My ears twitched and I opened my eyes when I heard voices. Pain was still throbbing in my leg, and I felt heavy chains on me. How long had I been out? I had no idea. Shifting, I heard the chains jingle and the voices stopped.

"Awake are you?" A typical brown bear leaned over me and I turned my face from him. "You can see the fire in his eyes still. You sure this is a good idea?"

"Imagine the money we could get off him. Sure, his leg's got an injury, but that'll make them more willing to buy him."

"What should we sell him for?"

There was a snort as I felt a growl threatening to rise in my throat.

"Whatever the buyer wants him for."

"You can't just sell other people!" I shouted at them. It was clear that these were different from the horses I had first seen. But they were no better.

"It's our job, hedgehog. Nothing personal, really."

I looked at the wolf and growled. He was smirking at me. Every belief I had was against this situation. If I hadn't stepped right into that trap, I wouldn't be here now. I should have paid more attention.

"How many people have you sold already?" I asked.

"That doesn't matter, does it?" The wolf grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes. "No matter. I'm sure whoever buys him will extinguish that fire by the time his leg has healed."

The two left and I struggled to get out of my bonds. As I struggled, I realized that my quills had been cut off to the same length as Amy's. All my defenses were gone, and who knows who was going to buy me? I screamed rather than let myself cry. There was nothing I could do, and I hated it.

-Two days later-

My leg had been bandaged and chains held my ankles and wrists together. What seemed like at least a hundred people were in front of the stage I was being led onto. The other anthros I had seen backstage had been defeated long ago, and I had barely been able to look at them. Head held high, I stood in the center of the stage as the wolf I already disliked started addressing the audience.

"Our first specimen today is a new one. I know some would like a chance to train their own slave, and now's your chance. He has a fire that I haven't seen before." I could see a few members of the audience lean forward in their seats. "Unfortunately, it was impossible to capture him without damaging his leg. No, let's start the bidding."

"A hundred coins!" Someone shouted and I felt my face grow hot.

"Three hundred!"

I growled slightly and my ears moved back. This was both infuriating and humiliating. I just hoped this was over soon. The same two voices argued back and forth for a few minutes, increasing to two thousand coins. Then, a familiar deep voice quieted everyone else.

"Five thousand coins."

I dared look back at the audience and stared at the hedgehog that both sounded and looked like Shadow. He was standing, red eyes scanning the crowd for any others willing to bid higher. He was dressed... like the nobles you see in movies. Except the frills. I didn't see any of those. Nobody said anything more and the wolf spoke again.

"Very well, Lancelot."

I was pushed from the stage and waited for Sha- Lancelot to get over here. He paid the bear standing with me and got a set of keys before looking at me.

"Time to go home."


	3. Lancelot

Chapter 3: Lancelot

I followed Lancelot...my new Master...silently, the chains around my arms and legs clanking while I walked. This was terrible...me, a slave, in a place that I had no knowledge of. Lancelot looked back at me, then shrugged and looked forward.

"What is thy name?" He asked in that deep voice that reminded me of Shadow.

"Sonic," I said. "Where am I?"

Lancelot kept walking. "Art thou not from this land?"

"No, I'm not."

"Where, then, art thou from?"

I looked at him and said the first thing that came to mind. "Rome."

"Tis a long journey thou hast made," he said, still leading me on. "I welcome thee to Camelot."

My eyes widened in shock. I was in Camelot? Then Lancelot was a knight! Or...was he? I wasn't sure. "You're a knight, then?"

"Nay, I am not. I would like to become one and serve the King, Uther Pendragon. He is a just ruler, and it would be an honor to serve at his side."

He fell silent, as if thinking about something. I didn't press the issue but continued walking, looking around. The land was beautiful, I had to admit, and wondered why the portal that Eggman activated sent me here. I shrugged and looked at my chains, thinking why this had to happen. A few minutes later, I looked back at Lancelot. He reminded me so much of Shadow: the same species, look, maybe abilities if he had any, and personality. I wondered if there were any other counterparts here. We continued on in silence for a while, walking down the dirt road. My legs became tired and I stumbled for a few before losing balance and falling to the ground. Lancelot turned to me and I picked myself up, smiling sheepishly at him.

"Sorry," I said.

Lancelot shook his head. "Clumsy fool," he said, and walked off.

I frowned and followed him. Is this how I was going to be treated from now on? A low-class slave whose only purpose is to serve a Master? I didn't want that; it wasn't right. My life was supposed to be free, not someone's property. If only I could go back home...but that wasn't possible, I knew it.

"Come hither, slave," Lancelot shouted as he was walking.

I gulped and raced after him. Eventually, we made it to a village that I supposed was where Lancelot lived. He nodded and the citizens and talked to a few, some curious to who I was. Lancelot told them that he had bought me at the slave auction, and I pouted. Again with the slave treatment...why couldn't I just be a free man? Why did they have to treat me like some sort of thing that was property? I sighed and waited for Lancelot to finish talking. Eventually he did so and walked off, motioning for me to follow. We came to a huge house and walked inside.

"Thy new home," he said, turning to face me. "But don't get too comfortable. Thou shalt sleep in the slave quarters down the hall. As for thy duties, I expect thou to finish them whenever I ask thee. If thee disobey me...thou shalt be punished. And call me Master at all times."

My mind processed this, and I nodded. "What duties do I have, Master?"

"Cleaning, working around the house, and helping in the fields. I will have other duties for thee also. In the meantime, get used to living here. I expect thee to be hard at work tomorrow morning."

I bowed, and then walked to my room. It was a mess, but that was to be expected. Lancelot followed me and looked around the room before nodding. I looked at him and sat on the bed, wondering what I would be doing from now on.

"Art thou satisfied?" He asked me, and I shrugged. The black hedgehog left, closing the door behind him. I sighed, wondering how he would treat me. Hopefully he would be kind, but I doubted that.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself.

My head hit the pillow and I looked up at the ceiling, then yawned, and fell asleep.


	4. A Slave's First Duties

Chapter 4: A Slave's First Duties

I woke up, stretched, and winced as my leg throbbed in protest. Stupid hunters. They probably damaged my leg beyond repair. I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to the door. Might as well check out the house.

Outside my room was the same hall as yesterday, of course. I walked down it back to the main hall and looked around. There were a few other doors to go through, and a staircase leading to the second floor. Paintings I hadn't noticed yesterday were hanging on the wall, showing who I assumed were previous owners or something. In any case, most of them looked like Shadow. Lancelot... whatever. I had no sooner touched the railing of the staircase when I heard a familiar voice again.

"Slave, I have something I wish for thee to attend to."

I closed my eyes and took a breath before turning around. "What is it, Master?"

His frown let me know that he had picked up my tone and wasn't happy about it. "Cleaning. Everything thee need is on the closet at the side of the staircase." Lancelot motioned and lead me to the closet he was talking about. "For now, I want thee to dust the library."

I looked at the items in the closet and pulled out what I assumed was the duster. This wasn't what I expected, though it was relieving to have something so simple. Lancelot again motioned for me to follow, this time leading me to the library. On the way he named off each room so I would know where everything was. When the door to the library opened, I stared. It was bigger than I had expected it to be. Considering the size of the house, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised.

"Once you're finished here, I'll have something else for thee to do."

Lancelot turned and left. I went into the library and looked around. It didn't look like it needed much dusting. With a shrug, I walked over to the nearest bookcase and started. If I took my time, I could think over what's going on.

There was the obvious slave thing that really bothered me. Owning others was something that just shouldn't be done. Ever. It took away the freedom people should have, and to my knowledge they were never treated much like people to begin with. I count myself lucky that Lancelot didn't seem like that bad of a guy. His appearance wasn't the only thing that was like Shadow. I had been expecting much worse treatment. Slaves were always treated terribly by the people who owned them. According to history, anyway. I sighed, blowing some of the dust away from my face.

"I'll have to find some way back eventually."

"Slaves may not return to where they came from." I spun around to see Lancelot standing in front of the door.

"La- Master! What are you doing here?" The moment it left my mouth, I wanted to smack myself. Luckily, he didn't seem to mind.

"I thought I'd come to see how thee were doing. I'm aware becoming a slave isn't what anyone ever has in mind,"

"Of course not," I interrupted Lancelot without thinking. "Who would want to trade their life and freedom to please someone else? If you know it's wrong-"

"In every aspect of life, people strive to show dominance over one another. This is the way things are, and have always been. Slaves have always served their masters as long as this kingdom has stood." Lancelot was silent for a few moments, staring at me. "Thou art the first I've ever owned."

"Oh. Then, the others..."

"Servants in my employ." Lancelot gave a small smile. "Believe me, thee will appreciate my ownership soon enough. Thou hast no idea what thou would be doing this moment if any other had bought thee."

"I have an idea." I shuddered and got back to my dusting. "So...how long has it been since you've read any of these?"

"A few months. I haven't had much recent use for them."

Lancelot came up beside me and ran his finger along the row of books. After pausing on one, he pulled it out and extended it to me. With an inward sigh, I dusted his book. Once I had lowered the duster, he walked over to the desk and sat in the seat behind it. Having him there while I went about dusting was... a little nerve-wracking, I had to admit. Cleaning never had been my strong point. By the looks of things, I was going to have to get used to it.


	5. Sonic's Mistake

Chapter 5: Sonic's Mistake  
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A few hours later, I was done dusting. Lancelot looked at me, then stood up and walked around the library, inspecting the room. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction and walked up to me. I hesitated, wondering what he was going to say. Finally, he spoke.

"Thou hast done a good job," he said. "Thine may take a break. I have cooked breakfast for thee so thou may eat. Afterwards, I want thee to clean up the house and go out to work on the fields. Doest thou understand?"

I nodded and walked off. Lancelot followed me and sat down at the table across from me. I looked at my breakfast and sighed: it consisted of barley and bread. Not a very filling meal. Lancelot had pork and stew. I frowned and began to eat. It wasn't very good, but I didn't want to spit it out in case Lancelot saw. Sighing, I continued to eat, the manacles around my hands and feet clinking as I did so. We ate in silence for a while before our meals were finished. Finally Lancelot stood up and waled over to me. I stood also and looked at him.

"Get back to work," he said curtly, and walked off.

As he left, I gulped, then nodded. Cleaning the house couldn't be that hard, if I knew what to do. I walked up to Lancelot and looked at him.

"What do you want me to clean, Master?" I asked him.

Lancelot looked at me. "There are all sorts of things that thee can clean around the house: the dishes, floor, closets, etc."

I bowed and walked off, then got to work. Lancelot sat down and watched me as I did so. It was unnerving, him watching me like that. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to it or not, but he seemed like an okay Master. The first thing I did was wash the dishes, placing them in the sink and scrubbing them with soap and water. This wasn't too hard, at least, not yet. Most likely he would give me harder work as the days went on.

Soon, I was done cleaning. He looked at me and nodded. "Thou art doing a good job, Sonic," he said. "I will be gone for the rest of the day; there are errands I have to run. While I am gone, thou may continue thy work. There is a list on the table telling thee what thou needeth to do. Get them done by the time I get back."

"Of course, Master," I said, bowing.

Lancelot nodded and left. When he was gone, I walked over to the table and picked up the note. He had written up my duties for the day, such as working in the fields, quarries, cleaning, and a lot of hard labor. I sighed, put the note down, and got to work.

* * *

><p>As Lancelot walked down the street, he thought about his new slave. Sonic seemed to work hard, and that was a good sign. Smiling, the slave owner thought about what else Sonic could do. He seemed to follow orders, and do the things that Lancelot asked of him. Lancelot sighed and walked into town, looking at the list he brought with him to remind him what to do. He soon came to a shop and looked at the things for sale, then bought them. A few minutes later, Galahad walked up to him.<p>

"Father," he said, nodding. "How art thou?"

"I am good, son," Lancelot said. "How fares thy training at the castle?"

"Tis doing well. The King is pleased with my training to become a knight. I am but a squire now, and enjoy living at the castle. What art thou doing?"

"I recently bought a slave named Sonic. He has been doing fine, but I have only had him for a few days."

Galahad nodded. "I had best get back," he said. "I shalt see thee later, father."

He ran off, and Lancelot smiled, glad that his son was happy with his training. He continued his errands, his mind on his son, happy that things were doing well. If only he knew how wrong he was.

* * *

><p>Night came, and I was still working hard. I had did almost everything on the list, but the last thing that I had to do was organize books in the library. My stomach growled, so I decided to get something to eat. I went into the kitchen and looked around, wondering what to eat. Finally, I saw some leftover meat on the table and ate that. After I had dinner, I went into the library to finish up organizing the books. The shelves were massive and some of the books were scattered on Lancelot's desk and around it. Sighing, I saw a ladder resting on the front of a shelf and used that to put the books in their proper places. A while later, the ladder creaked as I was going down, and fell into the bookshelf. The force of the blow knocked the shelf over and onto the ground as more followed it. My eyes widened, and I groaned. What was I going to do? A few minutes later, I heard an angry voice.<p>

"What hast thou done, slave?" I turned to see Lancelot in the doorway, holding bags of groceries. He set them down on the floor and walked over to me. "I ask again: what hast thou done?"

I gulped. "I...I was putting books away when the ladder fell and knocked the shelves over. It was an accident, I swear!"

Lancelot growled and shook his head. "Accidents don't happen around here, slave. Thou shalt be punished for this."

He walked off and came back with a whip. My eyes widened in shock. "You're going to whip me? Why?"

"For what thine hast done! Now get on thy knees."

I did so, and he stood behind me. I screamed in pain as he whipped me; wounds appeared on my back as he did so, bloodied and bruised. After twenty lashes, he stopped.

"Go to bed, slave," he ordered. "We shall talk about this in the morning."

Hesitantly, I nodded and walked off, still limping from the wound to my legs. An idea was on my mind, one that I knew I had to do. I had to get out of here. I had to escape.


	6. New Plan

Chapter 6: New Plan

For a while, I lay in bed on my stomach. I didn't dare try to leave yet. My back protested any time I moved it the wrong way. Red blood was also sticking the fur together, which didn't help matters at all. For a few minutes, I thought about trying to clean it. Then there was a knock on my door. I looked over as the door opened and a rabbit walked in. She had a bucket in her hands, which I assumed was full of water, and a few things sticking out of the pockets on the front of her uniform.

"You're still awake," she said. I nodded, a little confused by this. "I saw you earlier, and I wanted to help you."

"You sure Lancelot won't mind?" The tone of my own voice surprised me. I rarely sounded so bitter about anything.

"Of course he won't. He wants us in top shape, not unable to properly do our duties." The rabbit stopped at the edge of the bed and set down the bucket before gently sitting next to me. "I'm Judith, by the way. My family's always been serving Lancelot's. I've been with him since we were children."

"And you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. His father was a wonderful man, and so is Lancelot." I hissed a little when she pressed a soaked cloth against the small of my back. "Now hold still so I can fix this up."

I sighed and kept myself still, trying to keep my quills relaxed so they didn't hurt her. I have no idea what she used, but it stung. Badly. Probably some kind of alcohol, going by the scent I could pick up after a while. When she finally stopped, she had me sit up so she could wrap some bandages around my lower torso.

"There. Now get some rest so you don't hurt yourself any further."

Judith pat my hand and left my room. She'd done a wonderful job, even if it did still sting. Leaving probably wasn't the best idea in this condition after all. Nevertheless, I got up a few minutes later and left the room. Every step made my lower back sting and ache where I had been whipped. My legs had stopped hurting so much earlier, but they were starting to protest again now. Without my speed, would I even be able to get away?

I shook my head and walked up the staircase in the main hall. Lancelot had commented on slaves being natural in this place. What if my lack of speed- I cringed slightly at that thought- got me caught again? I had no proof that Lancelot owned me. Someone else would probably wind up buying me. I had no idea how large this kingdom was, or how any others would react to me. There was really only one thing I could do.

"What art thou doing out of bed?"

I turned to see Lancelot staring at me from down the hall. He was in an open doorway, so he had probably heard my footsteps. Sucking it up and dealing with it wasn't exactly something I excelled at. Especially situations like these.

"Just taking a walk. I can't sleep, anyway," I said.

"Thou ought to be sleeping." Lancelot came further into the hall. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked a little worried. After earlier, I doubted it.

"Right back at you. What's got you up in the middle of the night?"

"Responding to letters I've been ignoring the past few weeks." Lancelot sighed. "Mostly invites for things other nobles are hosting. I don't plan to attend any."

I nodded and stood there, unsure what to do now. Just walking away was bound to get me in trouble again. Lancelot looked me over, and a small smile came to his face.

"I see Judith hath paid thou a visit. How is it?"

"It still stings when I move, but I guess it'll be fine. They had better heal up properly."

"They won't with thou wandering around like that." Lancelot chuckled. Apparently, my tone wasn't as offensive as I had thought.

"Why'd you do it, anyway?" I really couldn't help myself. "I keep hearing about how you're a good man, but-"

"Is it not what is done with slaves?"

I closed my eyes, and slowly took a breath. Lancelot had an entirely neutral expression on his face when I looked back at him. This was definitely 'overstepping my boundaries', but he had asked.

"No, it isn't. Regardless of what they did, or what stupid laws..." I paused for a brief moment. I could word that better. "I mean, the punishment should fit the crime, Master. A slap would have gotten your point across."

"I see..." Lancelot crossed his arms. One of his brows raised as he looked at me. "Thou must have come from an interesting place. Where was it again? Rome?"

"I've been wandering nearly my entire life." I wasn't exactly lying, and I doubted he'd believe me if I told him the truth. The small shrug I gave helped my story.

"Then it is more experience than the laws which thou hast previously followed... Thou art an interesting one, Slave." Lancelot paused for a few moments before speaking again. "Thou should return to thy room and get some rest."

Lancelot turned and went back into the room he had come from. I stared at the door for a few moments before walking past it again and going back to my room. That had definitely been a strange conversation. Not what I had been expecting when I heard his voice behind me, for sure. With the way he had whipped me earlier... I shook my head and sighed. Maybe I could convince him to treat me just the same as his other servants. In a more subtle way, if I could manage.

The moment the thought crossed my mind, I snorted. Subtlety was something I would never get the hang of. Tails had tried plenty of times to get me to be more subtle about stuff. That had failed spectacularly every time. Well... except Amy. I could be subtle about my annoyance around her. And Knuckles when he was acting like a complete idiot. Bringing my friends to mind didn't help with anything. It just made me feel even worse about the situation. What if I never got home? What if I couldn't get home? I'd be stuck in this place forever. Being treated like a slave, unless I did something about it. I stopped moving the moment the idea came to me. Already, I could see what I had to do. Sure, I'm just one hedgehog. But I am the hero of a whole planet. Fixing a single kingdom couldn't be too hard, right? I just had to convince "Master" that it was a good idea. If I was right, and he was like the Shadow I know, that shouldn't be too hard. It would just take some time and persuading.


	7. Summoned

Chapter 7: Summoned

Night turned to day and I woke up, yawning. My back hurt still, as did my legs. As I got out of bed, I hissed in pain as they protested. Limping, I walked over to the cabinet and got dressed, putting on some raggedy old slave clothing, as Lancelot had requested. Frowning, I looked at my right leg. Most likely I would have this limp for the rest of my life. The scars were still there from that darn bear trap, and I winced in pain as I put weight on it. As I walked out of the room, I saw Lancelot sitting on a chair at the table, talking to a white hedgehog. They looked up as I came in.

"Slave," Lancelot said, nodding to me. "How fared your rest?"

I shrugged. "It was okay. Who is this?"

Lancelot was about to speak when the white hedgehog stood. "I am Galahad, Lancelot's son. Tis nice to meet you..."

"Sonic. My name's Sonic."

Galahad nodded and sat down as I stood there, surprised that Lancelot had a son. He had never spoken about Galahad before. Lancelot noticed my strange expression and looked at me.

"My son is currently training at the castle to become a knight," he said. "That is why I hardly see him."

"Why haven't you spoken of him before?" I asked.

"Tis not my business to share my personal life with a mere slave," he said, his voice grave.

I gulped and nodded, then sat down at the table as well. Galahad looked at his father. "I come with an urgent message," he said. "The King of Camelot, Uther Pendragon, has been poisoned, and will soon die. He has requested your presence."

Lancelot's eyes widened in shock, as did my own. "What?" He nearly yelled. "How?"

Galahad shrugged and stood. "Wilt thou come, father?"

The slave owner stood and nodded. Galahad smiled and walked outside as his father followed him. "Are you going to come with, slave?" He asked.

I nodded and walked towards him, limping in pain as I did so. Lancelot saw this and sighed, but followed his son. It was a few hours' journey to the castle, and once we got there, Galahad walked up to the guards.

"The King hast been expecting us," he said.

"His Majesty is waiting," one guard said. "Come hither, all of you."

They led us inside, and into the throne room. We all bowed before Pendragon, who was sitting at his throne, looking very ill. He was a blue hedgehog that looked a lot like me, and sat up when he saw us.

"Welcome, welcome and thrice welcome," he said to all of us, then set his eyes on Lancelot. "So...thou art Lancelot, the son of Galahad. He has spoken highly of thee. Come forward."

Lancelot did so, standing up and looking at the king. "My liege, tis an honor to meet thee at last. Why hast thine summoned us?"

The King coughed and groaned, looking at him. "Thou art here at the request of Sir Galahad. He has been knighted recently, and hast told you of my predicament. I am ill, and will soon pass away. I must find an heir to the throne, as I have no children of my own. My only son, Arthur, is...lost. Thou must find the wizard Merlin and have him come here."

"Who's Merlin?" I asked, then mentally slapped myself for saying something out of turn.

Uther Pendragon looked at me, and a flicker of recognition appeared in his eyes. Then it was gone, and he coughed once more. "Merlin is a wizard in Camelot. He will help you. Go to the island of Avalon; he wilt be there."

"Where's Avalon?" I asked again. Lancelot glared at me, and I fell silent.

"Tis on the outskirts of Camelot. I fear this illness is not natural. Find him at once, and have him come to me."

We all nodded, and left.


End file.
